Official Game Thread: Celtics at Hawks

[lethalweapon3]

Bucks Be Like…

 

16 minutes, three rebounds, one point. When Al Horford last set foot on the hardwood where he once reigned, at Atlanta’s State Farm Arena, the five-time NBA All-Star found himself benched by head coach Ime Udoka in the fourth quarter, as third-year forward Grant Williams assumed much of Horford’s role on the Boston Celtics. In 23 minutes versus the Hawks, Williams managed exactly as many field goals and rebounds as Al.

Horford was among the more effective Celtics, by default, as Boston sought to shave down a 15-point halftime deficit. But later, as Al looked on from afar, the Hawks began splashing threes in the fourth quarter and aggressively forced Boston into turnovers, pushing the lead back beyond reach.

The 108-92 victory moved Atlanta (23-25) to within one game of the Celtics. Two teams, with coaches and star players struggling to gain traction, both of whom seemed to be moving past Horford. It was looking as though Al, well over 35 years of age, would become not much more than a bit player with Boston going forward, assuming he would survive the Trade Deadline.

Like Jeezy, Horf is far removed from his “Young” years, his once dedicated Hawk fans having long since shifted their focus to a new Young savior. Boston seemed about ready to move on, as well. But a funny thing happened along the path to near-certain NBA retirement.

Against Atlanta, Udoka merely elected to reserve Al’s energies for the business end of a back-to-back, as Boston secured a rare road victory, in New Orleans. The C’s would go on to win eight more games. Their 11-2 stretch before the All-Star Break preceded a 17-5 run afterwards, catapulting Boston out of Play-In Land.

Al would proceed to average 35 minutes per game in the Playoffs, leading his team with 48.0 3FG% and 9.3 RPG. With his help, Udoka’s squad impressed the Nets with an opening-round sweep, then outlasted the Bucks and heat in seven games. Suddenly, Al Horford was something he could not become in his nine Atlanta seasons – an NBA Finalist – and he wasn’t satisfied with simply coming along for the ride.

His clutch shots, along the way to a team-high 26 points, helped leave Draymond Green looking punch-drunk during a Game 1 upset in San Francisco. Eventually, the Celts would get put to bed by Steph Curry in six games of the championship series. Yet Horford’s fountain-of-youth spurts to set the tone on Boston’s behalf would not go unheralded.

Al made his move into 20-mill-ville when he spurned Atlanta as a free agent in 2016. He bailed Beantown in a failed move to Philly three seasons later on a new four-year deal, partially guaranteed for this final season, then gratefully returned to Boston after an exile in OKC.

Now, the Celtics (11-3) have returned to their desired perch as veritable Finals contenders (Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have a bit to do with this, too), seeking their eighth-straight victory tonight at Atlanta’s expense (7:30 PM, Bally Sports Southeast and 92.9 FM in ATL, ESPN). Horford, meanwhile, is viewed through a slightly different prism than the one he held at the peak of his Hawks career.

Leader. Clutch Player. Essential Cog. When Bawse ruled the roost in The A, such traits struggled to stick to his persona, commensurate with Atlanta’s oft-sketchy playoff exits. Now, if he is instrumental in Boston’s drive to return to The Finals, Al could achieve a status his former Hawks backup, Zaza Pachulia, earned with the Warriors. Cult Hero. And probably a guaranteed post-retirement job, in Brad Stevens’ front office, if the happy New Englander so desires.

More unexpected things would transpire before the Celtics could convene for training camp. Udoka was suspended indefinitely by the club, Boston turning to an assistant, in Joe Mazzulla, who problematic relations with the fairer sex were resolved before he could find his way into The Association as a coach. Arthroscopic surgery on Robert Williams’ knee meant his return to play would be delayed for weeks, if not months.

On top of offseason acquisition Danilo Gallinari’s untimely knee injury during Eurobasket, R-Will’s absence portended a return to significant reliance on Horford, particularly major minutes at his long-dreaded center role, from the season’s start. It was either that, or long, hard looks at the likes of Luke Kornet, Sam Hauser, the acid-washed Blake Griffin, and Noah Vonleh. Horford, it is.

Al (45.3 3FG%) and G-Will (48.8 3FG%) have thrived as floor-spacing bigs, giving both Tatum (31.9 PPG, 3^rd-highest in NBA; career-bests of 59.4 2FG% and 8.7 FTAs/game, up from 52.4% and 6.2 last season) and Brown (career-bests of 25.4 PPG, 56.0 2FG% and 83.1 FT%) more room to attack inside and draw munificent trips to the free throw line.

Whether this was Udoka’s or Mazzulla’s design from the beginning, the variety of ways Boston (NBA-high 122.6 post-Break O-Rating last season) can get buckets has the Tatum-and-Brown-led collective posting offensive efficiencies (NBA-best 118.8 O-Rating, highest since NBA-ABA merger) that rival those from the latter-stage Bird-and-McHale era.

As Horford splashed six threes on eight tries, Boston sandblasted Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets to the tune of 131 regulation points last Friday. The Celtics piled on the points versus Detroit, at Detroit and back home versus OKC in recent days. Defensive slippage on the Celtics’ part, though, nearly cost them their winning streak prematurely versus a game Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Boston outlasting OKC on Monday for the 126-122 win.

With this transition from a defensive-facing team to an offensive one, the Celts have been carrying on, lately, without the services of Malcolm Brogdon (out, strained hammy), who is brought into the fold to enhance the play options in relief of Marcus Smart (out, inflamed ankle).

Tonight extends a theme for the Hawks (9-5) facing a club suddenly making-do without a key ballhandling guard or two. With Jrue Holiday a late scratch on Monday in Milwaukee, the Bucks (20.7 team 3FG%) could not create enough dribble penetration to draw in help defenders and generate uncontested threes, Atlanta rendering Giannis Antetokounmpo’s output perfunctory as they cruised to a 121-106 victory.

The Bucks, without Jrue, also could not stop Trae Young nor Dejounte Murray (combined 40 points, 14 assists, 3 player TOs) from getting wherever on the court they wanted to be. Their scrambling created seams for De’Andre Hunter (10-for-10 FTs, team-high 24 points) to exploit.

Atlanta will need Hunter and John Collins active in getting out to the perimeter to contest Boston’s bigs, allowing Clint Capela to play centerfield in retrieving the ball from Tatum and Brown’s shots and drives. Murray and the Hawk guards helping Atlanta to secure defensive rebounds can ignite the break and force Boston’s star scorers to spend more time on their heels than they’d like.

A day will come when #15 will hang from the arena rafters for Horford, the mainstay for the once-troubled franchise’s most sustained postseason activity in a couple generations. That was a stretch for the Hawks that began in 2008, when he bedeviled the Celtics along the way to the latter’s last NBA title.

If he plays his cards right this season in bringing Boston close to title #18, Horford may one day find a #42 hanging from a Boston arena, too. Further, the Garden may not be the only building in Massachusetts where he finds himself bestowed with a once-unforeseen commemoration.

 

Let’s Go Hawks!

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

The rain in Maine does not mainly fall on JD Davison, the two-way guard recalled from the Red Claws to aid Boston's depleted backcourt.

Bogi remains the only player on the Boo-Boo Report for Atlanta, with no change in status.

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

I'm shocked... Shocked!... to find there's no gambling going on in here.

~l0u1sr3nault

[kg01]

Good professional effort gets the W tonight.  IDGAF who is or is not playing for the Seeeeeeeees.

[warcore]

10 minutes ago, lethalweapon3 said:

~l0u1sr3nault

[JayBirdHawk]

 

 

[Atlantaholic]

I hate the Celtics.

That's it. That's all I got. 

[JayBirdHawk]

 

 

[TheNorthCydeRises]

2 hours ago, lethalweapon3 said:

 

A day will come when #15 will hang from the arena rafters for Horford, the mainstay for the once-troubled franchise’s most sustained postseason activity in a couple generations. That was a stretch for the Hawks that began in 2008, when he bedeviled the Celtics along the way to the latter’s last NBA title.

 

Let’s Go Hawks!

~lw3

 

Eh . . . despite his pedestrian stats, it's hard to argue against Horford not having his number retired one day.  But if he gets his number retired, I hope they do Joe Johnson's first. 

 

[benhillboy]

Kinda surprised Clint caught that 

[TheNorthCydeRises]

Let it fly, Trae.

[NBASupes]

Hunter f***ing up

[Carmine]

Hopefully Capela eats with Williams out

[RandomFan]

Hawks missing errthing. 

[MaceCase]

Johnny is best in motion.

[benhillboy]

I’m not mad at the new ESPN scoreboard graphic.  The two tone color coding on the team boxes is a nice touch.  But that “record” script seems unnecessary for the full game.  Still everyone needs to fall in line with the Apple TV Baseball style that sh*t is perfect with the minimalism and play by play probability that isn’t bothersome.

Yall prefer the long slim rectangular box in the middle at the bottom or a square box in a corner?  I think those old NBC NBA graphics and layout from the 90s were better than many you’d see today.

Edited November 17, 2022 by benhillboy

[TheNorthCydeRises]

Come on Mark Jones.

That's not Green . . . as in AJ Green.

 

I guess we got to call you Mike Jones then.

[terrell]

We cant shoot worth a shit.... 

 

 

[benhillboy]

 Blake still alive, cool.  Nice floater by Aaron.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

3 minutes ago, benhillboy said:

I’m not mad at the new ESPN scoreboard graphic. That “record” script seems unnecessary for the full game.  Still everyone needs to fall in line with the Apple TV Baseball style that sh*t is perfect with the minimalism and play by play probability that isn’t bothersome.

Yall prefer the long slim rectangular box in the middle at the bottom or a square box in a corner?  I think those old NBC NBA graphics and layout from the 90s were better than many you’d see today.

I like this ESPN look.  Nice and clean, along with the team colors to match the jersey colors.